Children & Youth Enrichment Program/Programa de Desarrollo para Niños y Jóvenes

NVCS's mission is to empower North Hills and surrounding neighborhood residents to build a vision of their community's future and actively solve local challenges.

NVCS is a BIPOC-led nonprofit that annually serves more than 244,000 people who are at-risk or are experiencing homelessness. NVCS is proud to be the largest single-site food distribution center in the San Fernando Valley while upholding the grassroots approach.

The integrity of NVCS's identity as a local community-based nonprofit is essential to the organization. NVCS treats everyone with dignity, respect, and compassion, regardless of their background or circumstances. NVCS fosters a multi-pronged approach to tackling food, housing, and job insecurity through its programs and services.

NVCS’ Youth & Children Enrichment provides after school and out-of-school programming for K-12th grade FREE of cost to families.  

On-site Monday-Friday

• Academic enrichment - to increase math and reading competency
• Daily 1:1 tutoring
• Sports and physical activity
• Exposure to the Arts
• Recreational enrichment - we provide at-risk youth with exposure to new cultural and geographical destinations giving them an expanded view of their world. We hold a “debriefing” group discussion after each field trip to maximize the learning opportunities and promote peer-dialogue. 
• Youth empowerment - as we work to empower at-risk youth in our program, we create meaningful opportunities for them to voice their opinions and be involved in making decisions that affect them. Through discussion groups participants take on leadership roles for planning specific projects and activities. Youth are given the opportunity to amplify their voices in an inclusive, equitable and motivating way that ultimately results in them taking more ownership for their own community-building.
• A sense of community - we provide regular updates to the families of all participants, encouraging them to be involved in their child's educational and social development. We invite families to participate in program and community events to increase and build a network of support to prevent any child slipping through the cracks. 
• Gaining marketable skills -through collaborations with other nonprofits and volunteers, participants attend classes to gain skills in typing, coding, photography and cooking. These classes allow participants to explore future career options and their creativity.
• Celebrations - we celebrate youth and their successes!